1. Zoroastrianism provides the foundation and roots for the development of ethical monotheism and the development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Zoroastrianism is ultimately thought to be the first faith to bring in monotheistic beliefs. Zoroastrianism is a religion developed from the teachings of the Persian prophet Zarathustra, or known in the west as Zoroaster. With his teaching bringing about new ideas of good versus evil, dualism, and messianic faiths, it made Zoroastrianism tremendously popular at the time and influential on the history, culture, and art of Persia, and the development of Abrahamic religions. Zoroastrian monotheism has had major influence on the religions of the Middle Eastern monotheisms in adaptations of such concepts as heavens, hells, judgment day and messianic figures. There are many religions that can be considered monotheistic, with the best examples being Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; however, ethical monotheism can be seen in other religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, and Neo-Platonism. “Today, ideas life final judgment and heaven and hell are important to traditional Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.”(Ellewood, McGraw 09). Monotheism is the belief in one god or deity, and usually attributes to biblical faiths in unique and distinct contributions to the history of religious thought. Along with being an early developer of monotheistic faith, Zoroastrianism displays many of the same rituals and beliefs as that of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Zoroastrianism was the first religion to believe in angels, dualism or ongoing battle between good and evil, a satanic figure, and a day of judgment. These ideas later influenced the development of Judaism, and later Christianity and Islam. It is shown likely that Zoroastrianism influenced the development of Judaism and the birth of Christianity. With the scholarly writings and research provided through the years there is no doubt that Zoroastrianism plays a...

YOU MAY ALSO FIND THESE DOCUMENTS HELPFUL

...Kyle Park
02/27/12
Final Draft of ZoroastrianismZoroastrianism is a religion that was created by Zoroaster (c. 630-550 B.C.E) in Ancient Persia. Zoroastrianism was founded about 3500 years ago. Zoroastrianism was the first monotheistic religion ever made. Since it was the first ever monotheistic religion, it influenced the belief system of major religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These four religions all believe in the good side of their belief system. Therefore, because Zoroastrianism influenced belief systems of major religions, it is an essential religion to have in our world. If there wasn’t Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam would not have been created in our world. Also, the concept of good and evil would not have been created. Before, people had morals but Zoroastrianism introduced the concept of good and evil to them. So nowadays, people know for sure what good and evil is.
Zoroastrianism is a one of the oldest monotheistic religion. Zoroastrianism is also called Mazdaism or Magianism. Although Zoroastrianism is a monotheistic religion, it can also be considered a dualistic religion because the belief system of Zoroastrianism believes in good or bad. There are also Gods for the good side and evil side. Zoroastrianism believes in Ahura Mazda which is the...

...ZoroastrianismZoroastrianism is a religion from ancient Iran whose theology has been up to much debate over the years by historians. Many saw this religion as a bridge between Eastern and Western religions. Zoroastrianism has been said to been practiced in Ancient Iran around 6th century B.C.E. This was one of the first monotheistic religions shining out among the clutter of polytheistic religions in the east and west. The worship was to maintain the natural order, truth, and righteousness of the universe.
Zoroastrianism was founded by Zarathushtra a Persian prophet, would said he had a vision of a God named Ahura Mazda. He was known as the great reformer and lived about 1100 to 550 B.C.E. He was a trained priest in the Indo-Iranian tradition. Zarathushtra was a mystical speaker who spent many years in spiritual retreat. All throughout Iran he was know as Mazdayasna to the people who met and heard of his teachings.
Zarathushtra believed in Ahura Mazda as the creator God. He believed he was pulled up to heaven and had a conversation with Ahura Mazda. Zarathushtra denounced all forms of cruelty, destruction, and hypocrisy. Ahura Mazda was said to create only good and should be worshipped by good thoughts and good deeds only. Adoration was showed to “the supreme” by rhythmic verses called Gathas. These have been the main source into the inside of Zoroastrian theology....

...Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest living religions in the world found in 6th century B.C. It was the religion of the ancient Persian Empire, now known as Iran. Its origins are a mystery. Today, it is a relatively small religion with only about 250,000 followers living in Iran and India. Zoroastrians living outside of Iran are called Parsis. Even so, this religion cannot be overlooked because of its great contributions to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
The major religious scriptures, the Gathas, are hymns of early Zoroastrians and are considered the very words of the prophet Zoroaster himself. All remaining scriptural books are based on the Gathas. The ancient inhabitants of the land, the Persian Empire, are a group of people know as Aryans. The Gathas indicates that the Aryans were nature worshipers who venerated a series of deities. It also tells of the prophet Zoroaster. Little is known about his birth or early life, but it was said that he discarded all gods but one.
Zoroaster grew up and became the only founder of a world religion to be trained as a priest. He preached that there was one true God and his named Ahura Mazda, translated to “Wise Lord”. He is understood to be the invisible and intangible creator and ruler of the universe. Zoroaster preached that Ahura Mazda revealed himself to mankind through six “Holy Immortals.” Western scholars have equated these “holy immortals” with the archangels of Christian...

...ZoroastrianismZoroastrianism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world today. Its adherents number 250,000, but thousands of years ago it was the state religion of the mighty Persian Empire and one of the most powerful religions in the world. In this paper I will tell you about the history of Zoroastrianism and its founder, Zoroaster, also known as Zarathushtra. I will discuss their scripture, doctrines, and end by examining in detail the commonalities in both doctrine and legend which will illustrate the influence that Zoroastrianism has had on more modern monotheistic religions.
Zarathushtra
Zarathushtra was the founder of Zoroastrianism. There is some mystery around who he was and when lived, but he is generally accepted as a historical figure, where he fits into history is disputed. Sources that look at archaeological digs, linguistic analysis, and social customs noted in the writings of Zarathushtra suggest that he lived between 2000 B.C.E and 1000 B.C.E. Adherents to the religion believe he lived as early as the 7th millennium B.C.E. There are some scholars who would date him as late as 100 B.C.E. (Wikipedia, 2006) He was born in present day Iran to the Spitama family. He is thought to have died at approximately 77 years of age.
Zarathushtra had a wife, 3 sons and 3 daughters who eventually converted to his newly founded religion. He spent many fruitless years in his homeland...

...LECTURETTE - IS THERE GOD ?
1. ‘O God, help us to keep ourselves physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight, that in doing our duty to Thee and our country we may keep the honour of the Services untarnished’ …..it is the way we started our life everyday for three very important years of our life, I am just reciting it so as to refresh your memory….and to seek out the first line….”Oh God, help us to”……GOD…who isGOD….what is GOD….is it something that justifies our existence, something that bestows righteousness to our actions, …..that ..’Whom’ for we work….close your eyes gentlemen….take a minute to think about….who, what, when, where and HOW……much like the .the ‘mission statement’…….of NOPP
2. I think everyone here has wrestled with the question, “Is there a God?” And we’ve all encountered a lot of opinions about this subject. Our parents, family and social circle have contributed to our belief and thoughts about God. However, each of us, I am sure has at some time contemplated on whether God exists, as a child may be, when our parents told stories about good and evil, as a teenager may be, when we questioned our parents belief, when we do not follow some tenet of our religion and wait for GOD’s reaction-and so on. The topic evokes a lot of sentiments and I would endevour to steer clear of controversy, with a basic intention of...

...-a------------------------------------------------
Zoroastrianism
-------------------------------------------------
History
Origins
Zoroastrianism emerged out of a common prehistoric Indo-Iranian religious system dating back to the early 2nd millennium BCE.[9]According to Zoroastrian tradition, Zoroaster was a reformer who exalted the deity of Wisdom, Ahura Mazda, to the status of Supreme Being and Creator, while demoting various other deities and rejecting certain rituals.
Farvahar. Persepolis, Iran.
Although older, Zoroastrianism only enters recorded history in the mid-5th century BCE.Herodotus' The Histories (completed c. 440 BCE) includes a description of Greater Iraniansociety with what may be recognizably Zoroastrian features, including exposure of the dead.
The Histories is a primary source of information on the early period of the Achaemenid era(648–330 BCE), in particular with respect to the role of the Magi. According to Herodotus i.101, the Magi were the sixth tribe of the Medians (until the unification of the Persian empire under Cyrus the Great, all Iranians were referred to as "Mede" or "Mada" by the peoples of the Ancient World), who appear to have been the priestly caste of the Mesopotamian-influenced branch of Zoroastrianism today known as Zurvanism, and who wielded considerable influence at the courts of the Median emperors.
Following the unification of the Median and Persian empires in...

...the concept of Zoroastrianism many Indo-Aryan traditions placed heavy emphasis on the sacrifice of the cow. The Rig Veda presents the idea of how cow and horse sacrifice was appropriate since it would be presenting gifts to the gods. The Vedic texts explain, "May the wind blow upon our cows with healing; may they eat herbage ...Like-coloured various-hued or single- coloured whose names through sacrifice are known to Agni, Whom the Angirases produced by Ferb vour – vou schsafe to these, Parjanya, great. protection. Those who have offered to the gods their bodies whose varied forms are all well known to Soma" [The Rig Veda (RV), Translated by Ralph H. Griffith, New York, 1992, p. 647]. These rituals would allow followers to sacrifice cows and horses to the gods as gifts of appreciation for their protection and hopes of their good graces. Followers saw the slaughter and cooking of cows as a gift sent to the gods through the smoke from cooking the animal; this concept is also explained in the Rig Veda, “What part of the Steed's flesh the fly hath eaten, or is left sticking to the post or hatchet, Or to the slayer's hands and nails adhereth, —among the Gods, too, may all this be with thee. Food undigested steaming from his belly, and any odour of raw flesh remaining, This let the immolators set in order and dress the sacrifice with perfect cooking” Rigveda 10.162.10 (HYMN CLXII. The Horse)....

...Top Ten Truths for Zoroastrianism
1. Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest living religions. It might be at least 3000 years old. It is also a small religion, as in only around 250,000 followers. It should not be overlooked because of its great contributions to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It should also be studied because of its impact on world history because it was the religion of the ancient Persian Empire, which once controlled the entire Middle East and attempted to conquer the Greek city-states in the 5th century B.C.E.
2. Zarathustra, known as Zoroaster, was the founder of Zoroastrianism. Legendary material states that demons tried to kill him several times as an infant because they recognized him as an enemy. At the age of 30 he believed he had seen visions of God, whom it called Ahura Mazda. During the next 10 years, Zoroaster has other visions of Ahura Mazda. He was condemned by his people. Zoroaster and his cousin went to Bactria and preached to the monarch Vishtaspa and converted him. His entire court and kingdom became followers and Zoroastrianism spread throughout the lands of the Aryan people.
3. The central teaching of Zoroaster is: There is only one true God in all the world and his name is Ahura Mazda. It is He who created the world. According to Zoroaster, Ahura Mazda revealed himself through six modes, the Amesh-Spenta. Three of the immortals bear...